• Naval Warfare

  Royal Swedish Navy eyes unmanned to augment subsurface capability

  8th September 2020

  Unmanned systems could become a key force multiplier for the Royal Swedish Navy in a bid to shore up hull numbers and add new capabilities …

• Naval Warfare

  Electric Boat to overhaul USS Hartford

  17th August 2020

  US Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) has issued a $125.82 million contract for General Dynamics Electric Boat  to plan, design and execute engineering overhaul services …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Tests prove Thor robustness before delivery to Philippines

  18th August 2020

  The Thor multirotor VTOL mini-UAS from Elbit Systems has completed environmental qualification tests before delivery to the military in the Philippines. According to Elbit, the …

• Special Operations

  USSOCOM raises contract ceiling for GMV 1.1 production

  20th August 2020

  General Dynamics Ordinance and Tactical Systems (GD-OTS) has received a $48.9 million contract ceiling modification from US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), for production of the …

• Naval Warfare

  Thailand buys submarines to keep up with the Joneses

  27th August 2020

  COVID-19 may have severely dented Thailand’s defence budget, but the procurement of two additional S26T diesel-electric submarines for the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) from China …

• Land Warfare

  BASE picks Alcon as braking system partner

  19th August 2020

  UK-based Alcon Components has been selected by Turkish drivetrain manufacturer BASE as its preferred supplier of specialist vehicle braking systems. Under this partnership, Alcon will …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  South Korea pursues a stealthy UCAV and much more

  20th August 2020

  South Korea is doggedly rolling out new UAVs for the nation’s armed services, as well as developing new high-tech aircraft for future use. One is …

• Naval Warfare

  Riachuelo performs independent navigation

  13th August 2020

  The PROSUB diesel-electric attack submarine  programme for the Brazilian Navy took a step forward on 12 August, when the first-in-class boat Riachuelo performed its first independent …

• Defence Helicopter

  Israel grounds Black Hawk fleet amid engine troubles

  19th August 2020

  The Israeli Air Force (IAF) has decided to ground its UH-60 Black Hawk (Owl) fleet following a number of T700 engine ‘technical malfunctions’ discovered over …

• Naval Warfare

  Latest improved Kilo-class boat poised for comprehensive tests

  10th August 2020

  The second Project 636.3 Varshavyanka (Improved Kilo-II class) diesel-electric attack submarine for the Russian Pacific Fleet is set to begin a comprehensive series of tests. According …

• Land Warfare

  NZDF trials electric motorbikes

  28th July 2020

  The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) announced on 27 July that it is testing electric-powered motorcycles manufactured by Tauranga-based Ubco. The NZDF has four of …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Australian Army invests in UGVs with new contracts

  11th August 2020

  Australia has announced significant investment of A$12.2 million ($8.7 million) in industry contracts for autonomous vehicles and emerging technologies. The money will go on experimentation, …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Camcopter zooms in on Australia, as Sea 129 tender process begins

  6th August 2020

  Schiebel Pacific announced on 27 July that it had teamed up with Raytheon Australia for the Australian Army’s Project Land 129 Phase 3 requirement for a new …

• Land Warfare

  US Army awards BAE Systems Bradley Hybrid Electric Drive contract

  17th July 2020

  BAE Systems has been awarded a $32 million prototype agreement by the US Army’s Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office to integrate a Hybrid Electric …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Finnish coast guard agency to use Camcopter S-100

  6th July 2020

  The Finnish Border and  Coast Guard is to operate the Schiebel Camcopter S-100 VTOL UAS for maritime surveillance, in a service offered by the European …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - mini

  K1000ULE [USMC]

  Programme Background Contact Award After a comprehensive down-selection evaluation, Kraus Hamdani Aerospace's K1000ULE drone won the USN's PMA 263 contract in April 2024. The company will now provide the USN ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

  AdvaNced airCraft Infrastructure-Less Launch And RecoverY (ANCILLARY) [US]

  Background Aims & Timeline As stated by DARPA, the ANCILLARY programme aims to develop and fly an X-plane that will provide a “leap-ahead” in long-endurance, VTOL-capable ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  Class 2 Tactical UAS [Ireland]

  Background EU Tender On 13 March 2024, the Irish Department of Defence released a planning notice on the EU tenders website, confirming that the Irish ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

  Onboard Mini-Drone Systems (SMDM) (69-90) [France]

  Background Contract Announcement On 3 February 2026, Airbus, Survey Copter’s parent company, announced that the French Directorate General of Armament (DGA) had ordered the Aliaca VTOL variant ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  Camcopter S-300 [South Korea]

  Programme Background Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) On 18 January 2023, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with Northop Grumman at a ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  Embarked VTOL UAV [South Korea]

  Background VTOL Development In January 2024, South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced that it would commence development of a VTOL-capable rotary-wing UAV to be ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - mini

  Ship-Bourne VTOL UAV [Singapore]

  Background Multi-Role Combat Vessel  The Republic of Singapore Navy will retire its six Victory-class corvettes and replace them with a new platform, the Multi-Role Combat ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  UAV Tactical Level [Norway]

  Background Request for Information (RfI) In September 2022, the Norwegian Defence Material Agency (NDMA) launched a request for information in preparation for a possible procurement ...

• Military UAS - micro, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  {not active} Micro VTOL [USMC]

  Programme Background Force Design 2030 The USMC Force Design 2030 is a modernisation effort to create a lighter, more agile maritime force. The update to ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing

  VTOL UAV [New Zealand]

  Background Defence Capability Plan (DCP) In April 2025, the New Zealand government published the DCP, a document that is essentially a blueprint for what procurements ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - small

  Cargo UAV (Turkey)

  Programme Background Inception & Requirment Turkey's Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB) initiated a programme to procure VTOL-capable cargo drones in June 2018. These were planned for ...

• Submarines: nuclear, attack

  Virginia Class Attack Submarine (SSN 812 - SSN 822)

  Programme Background Timeline The US Navy’s Virginia-class submarines (SSN 774) are built by both General Dynamics Electric Boat (GDEB) and Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) under ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - mini

  Aerobo Wing AS-VT02A [Malaysia]

  Background Requirment As reported by Shephard, in June 2021, Malaysia issued a tender for fixed-wing, vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capable UAVs. The tender stated that Malaysia ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | KSS-III (Boats 7-9) [South Korea]

  The Republic of Korean Navy's (RoKN), formerly named Jangbogo III-class (KSS-III) submarines are the latest variant of diesel-electric attack boats (SSKs) entering service under South ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | KSS-III (Boats 7-9) [South Korea]

  The Republic of Korean Navy's (RoKN), formerly named Jangbogo III-class (KSS-III) submarines are the latest variant of diesel-electric attack boats (SSKs) entering service under South ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - small

  QTP-UAV

  The Quad Tilt Prop UAV (QTP-UAV) is an electric platform that is designed to provide VTOL capability with high-speed horizontal flight. 

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - small

  Zala 421-22

  The Zala 421-22 is a rotary-wing UAV designed for ship- or land-based reconnaissance and surveillance, bomb damage assessment and real-time target acquisition. The VTOL UAV ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

  VU-R70

  The VU-R70 is a small fixed-wing VTOL-capable UAV from Viettel. A gasoline engine powers its horizontal flight, while four electric motors give it a VTOL capability. The ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  A-Hawk I (Cloud-1)

  Part of a strike-capable ISTAR series of A-Hawk platforms is the A-Hawk I (Cloud-1) VTOL developed by AVIC. Reports indicate that the A-Hawk I enables ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - mini

  Zada

  Zada is a mini fixed-wing UAV designed for intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance (ISR) missions. It features tilt-rotor systems, which give it a VTOL capability.

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

  CW-25D

  The CW-25D is VTOL capable UAV manufactured by Chengdu Jouav Automation Technology Co CW (JOUAV). It is a hybrid platform containing a 64cc two-stroke gasoline engine and electric ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

  PEN 35VE/VH

  The PEN 35VE/VH is a fixed-wing, VTOL-capable drone from Pen Aviation. Available in two variants, an electric and an electric hybrid, the UAV is designed for surveillance, ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  CL-9

  The CL-9 is a fixed-wing VTOL UAV. It is fitted with two underwing pylons with electric brushless motors at each end powering rotors to provide ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - small

  Maya Mk1

  The Maya Mk1 is a small, electric VTOL UAV with a 'tail-sitting' design. It is an encased system that allows for safe operation in urban ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - mini

  SR-10 VTOL

  Deftech showcased the SR-10 VTOL at DSA 2022. It has been locally designed in Malaysia to conduct aerial mapping, surveillance and line inspection missions. The hand-launched platform is powered ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  Turac VTOL UAV

  The Turac is a fixed-wing VTOL UAV developed jointly by Havelsan and Istanbul Technical University Aerospace Research Center. It can be used for traditional military ISR ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  Drako

  Drako is a quadrotor electric VTOL UAV suitable for close-range surveillance and reconnaissance on SF and police missions, especially in urban areas. It is available ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  XV-24A LightningStrike

  The XV-24A LightningStrike, developed by Aurora Flight Sciences and its partners Rolls-Royce and Honeywell, was a project for a tilt-wing UAV powered by an electric-distributed ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

  Rakshak VTOL

  The Rakshak VTOL is a fixed-wing UAV with an EO/IR sensor for ISR missions. Developed by TATA Advanced Systems, the UAV is VTOL-capable, allowing it to operate ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  H12 Poseidon

  The H12 Poseidon is the largest member of Swarmly's UAV family. Designed to compete with other theatre-level UAVs, the fixed-wing VTOL capable H12 integrates many payload options, such ...